Comparison

Brave Browser & Search Engine vs Private Browser ++

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Brave Browser & Search Engine

A fast, private web browser with built-in ad blocking and a VPN. It offers an AI assistant, a crypto wallet, and a privacy-focused search engine. Enjoy offline media playback and enhanced security features.

Highlights
  • Built-in Adblock and Pop-up Blocker
  • Firewall + VPN
  • AI Assistant (Brave Leo)
  • Secure Crypto Wallet (Brave Wallet)
  • Privacy-Focused Search Engine (Brave Search)
  • Offline Media Playback (Brave Playlist)
  • Voice Search
Features
Read full description

Brave is a fast, private web browser that blocks ads and trackers on every site, automatically. No settings to change, no extensions to install. Over 125 million people browse with Brave. It's free, open source, and independent — we don't sell your browsing data. Everything below is built into the browser. One app, not a stack of them. BLOCK ADS ON EVERY SITE Brave Shields stops banner ads, pop-ups, autoplay interruptions, and the ads that play before and during videos. Same on news sites, shopping sites, forums and video pages — no per-site setup, no ad blocker extension. It dismisses cookie consent banners too, and it's on from your first tab. PRIVATE BROWSING THAT BLOCKS TRACKERS Private mode in most browsers only hides your history from your own phone. Brave blocks the cross-site trackers and fingerprinting scripts that follow you from a shopping page to your social feed, strips tracking codes from links you copy, and turns on Global Privacy Control by default. SHRED: DELETE ONE SITE'S DATA, NOT ALL OF IT Clearing browser data usually logs you out of everything. Shred deletes the cookies and storage for one site and leaves your other sessions intact. Set Auto Shred to run whenever you close a tab. BRAVE SEARCH: A PRIVATE SEARCH ENGINE, BUILT IN Brave Search is the default search engine in the browser, running on its own independent index — not resold results from Google or Bing. It doesn't profile you or log your searches. Ask Brave puts search results and AI answers in one place. Switch search engines any time. BRAVE LEO: A FREE AI ASSISTANT Summarize a long article, translate a page, or draft a reply without leaving the tab. Choose from several AI models. Leo doesn't record your conversations, share them, or use them to train models. BRAVE NEWS: A FEED WITH NO PROFILE BEHIND IT Personalize a news feed from hundreds of sources or any RSS feed with Brave News. FASTER PAGES, LESS MOBILE DATA Ads and trackers are most of what a modern page downloads. Blocking them means fewer requests, less data and less battery drain. We rebuilt Brave's ad blocking engine to use 75% less memory, so it stays responsive with many tabs open. MAKE BRAVE YOUR DEFAULT BROWSER Open Settings, scroll to Brave, choose Default Browser App. Every link you tap — from Mail, Messages or any app — opens with ad and tracker blocking already on. WHAT'S FREE AND WHAT ISN'T Free: the browser, ad and tracker blocking, Shred, Brave Search, Brave Leo, Brave News, Sync and night mode. Subscriptions: - Brave Firewall + VPN encrypts your whole device, not just browser traffic, with a kill switch and smart proxy. - Brave Leo Premium unlocks more capable AI models. - Brave Origin: The streamlined, minimalist browser that gives you Brave's industry-leading privacy and ad-blocking, with none of the extras. One-time purchase: Brave Origin, an ultra-minimalist build of Brave — no AI, no crypto, nothing but the web. One purchase covers all your devices. Also inside: encrypted Sync, a self-custody Brave Wallet (off by default), night mode, voice search, password autofill, custom app icons, and bookmark import from Safari or Chrome. OPEN SOURCE Brave is open source, so anyone can audit what the browser does. Read what we collect at https://brave.com/privacy/ Our mission is to protect your privacy online by building a fast, private browser — while growing a fairer revenue model for creators. Enjoying the app? Please leave us a 5 star review! Brave.com · Support: https://brave.com/support Terms of Use: https://brave.com/terms-of-use/ Privacy Policy: https://brave.com/privacy/ SUBSCRIPTION TERMS Price may vary by location. Subscriptions are charged to your Apple Account. Firewall + VPN and Leo Premium are offered monthly and annually, and renew automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel in Account Settings. Free trials may be used once; any unused portion is forfeited on purchase.

About

Private Browser ++

This secure web browser prioritizes user privacy with features like a tracking-free search engine and no-image mode. Access browsing history and bookmarks securely using biometric authentication. Enjoy a modern, multi-tab interface with eye-friendly vision protection.

Highlights
  • Tracking-free search engine
  • Biometric access to history
  • Biometric access to bookmarks
  • No-Image mode
  • Vision protection mode
  • Multi-tab design
Features
Read full description

Private Browser is a fast, secure, and modern web browser. Privacy is the #1 goal in its design, whatever is browsed stays here. We didn’t just give up convenience for privacy - you can still access browsing history and bookmarks through Touch ID or Face ID. - Always launch from search engine, never displays your - Use a search engine that doesn’t track you - Allows accessing bookmarks with Touch ID or Face ID authentication (on eligible devices, in-app purchase required) - Allows accessing history with Touch ID or Face ID authentication (on eligible devices, in-app purchase required) - No-Image mode: hides all images from a website - Vision protection mode: change background color to a color that’s friendly on the eyes - Modern, multi-tab design Acknowledgements: - Photo by Gnist Design from Pexels • Payment will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase.

Screenshots

Brave Browser & Search Engine4 screens
Private Browser ++4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Brave Browser & Search Engine at 655K against Private Browser ++'s 33. Brave Browser & Search Engine also leads on chart position (#25 vs unranked). Private Browser ++'s advantage is review sentiment (92% vs 73%) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 18.0). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Brave Browser & Search Engine sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Private Browser ++ sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Brave Browser & Search Engine against 4.7 for Private Browser ++. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Brave Browser & Search Engine has 655K ratings behind it against 33, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 73% of Brave Browser & Search Engine's written reviews are positive against 92% of Private Browser ++'s.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Brave Browser & Search Engine versus Private Browser ++: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBrave Browser & Search EnginePrivate Browser ++
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (655K ratings) — better4.7 (33 ratings)
Positive reviews73.3% of reviews91.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings655K — better33
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#25 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.011.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size361 MB20 MB
Age rating17+17+
DeveloperBrave SoftwareTouchberry

Customer experience

Brave Browser & Search Engine

All ratings655,391 ratings
Positive95.3%
Neutral2.1%
Negative2.6%
Written reviews7,588 reviews
Positive73.3%
Neutral7.5%
Negative19.2%

Private Browser ++

All ratings33 ratings
Positive93.9%
Neutral3.0%
Negative3.0%
Written reviews24 reviews
Positive91.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative8.3%

Bugs and requests

Brave Browser & Search Engine

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Disappearing tabs and lost browsing data
  • Compatibility issues with certain websites
  • Problems with the Brave Playlist feature

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to clear browsing history and data in bulk
  • More customization options for the home screen and UI
  • Improved integration with other apps and services
  • Expanded Brave Rewards program and payouts

Private Browser ++

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

5 purchases

Brave Browser & Search Engine

Subscriptions4
  • Monthly Firewall + VPN7 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Brave Leo AI (monthly)7 Days trial$14.991 Month
  • Annual Firewall + VPN7 Days trial$99.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Brave Leo AI (annual)7 Days trial$149.991 Year
One-time1
  • Brave Origin$59.99
1 purchases

Private Browser ++

One-time1
  • Entire Life Premium Feature$4.99

Questions

Is Brave Browser & Search Engine free?
Brave Browser & Search Engine is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Private Browser ++ free?
Private Browser ++ is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Brave Browser & Search Engine or Private Browser ++?
Brave Browser & Search Engine is rated higher. Brave Browser & Search Engine averages 4.8 out of 5 from 655K ratings, while Private Browser ++ averages 4.7 from 33 ratings.
Do Brave Browser & Search Engine or Private Browser ++ have ads?
Neither Brave Browser & Search Engine nor Private Browser ++ shows ads.

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